Alex sprints up the stairs, heart pounding. If Brock could have said anything to scare him more that moment, he didn't know what it was. Luckily, a group of second years was walking in and Alex pushed thru them, practically hurdling the stairs and running into your room, closing the door hard behind him and looking around almost frantically.

Dean is huddled under the blanket on his bed, the curtains completely closed. His entire body is trembling, and there is a peculiar scent surrounding him.

Alex stares at the drawn curtains for a few seconds, wondering if he should even open them, then pulls them just a few inches. "Baby? Dean?" Voice as soft as it can be, but shaking.

Dean merely hugs the duvet tighter to his body, rocking himself slowly. His back is toward you and his face is buried in the pillow.

Alex craws into bed and pulls the curtains closed again, muttering a silencing spell then curling his legs to his chest and leaning against the headboard, biting his lip hard and watching you, shaking slightly, terribly afraid he might start crying.

Dean continues rocking slowly, his eyes staring unseeingly at the curtain in front of him.

"Dean, love?" He strokes his fingers gently against your hair then draws his hand back, not knowing if he should touch you. Feeling stinging behind his eyes and wincing.

He flinches away slightly at your touch, curling up against himself. The tears begin to roll slowly down his cheeks and his breathing hitches slightly as he tries to hold back the sobs.

Alex stretches out behind you, feeling himself begin to cry, wanting nothing more than to cradle you as you cry, but forces himself not to touch you. "Baby, it's me... Alex..." Voice a soft shaking whisper. "I'm here."

Dean sniffles quietly and uncurls his legs a bit. "Alex?" he whispers, his voice low and hoarse.

He puts a tentative hand on your shoulder, very softly. "Yeah, love, it's me. I'm here."

Dean rolls over onto his back slowly, wincing as his body moves. He looks up at you questioningly, his face etched with confusion.

Alex wipes his own tears away. "Hey there, love..." Voice shaking, eyes watering again.

"I...I don't remember...how I got here." his body begins to tremble again and he tears his eyes away from you.

Alex reaches the backs of his knuckles to wipe away your tears. "It doesn't matter, baby. You're safe now." He closes his eyes and starts crying again, quietly.

Dean reaches out slowly and clings to you, burying his face against your shoulder. "I hurt..." he trembles against you again slightly.

Alex runs fingers slightly down your hair, cradling you gently into his shoulder. "Let me fix it?" Privately thanking Andrew and every quidditch injury he'd ever had for a reason to be good at healing charms.

"N...no no no. It...it burns." Dean shivers against you again. "Don't want you to see...please."

Alex tenses. "Love... I..." He shakes slightly. "Please let me see? Let me take care of you..."

"No...no...it's humiliating." he grasps your arms tightly, wincing as his body presses up against yours.

Alex leans his head against yours gently, crying again. "You can show me, love. You don't ever have to be embarrassed with me... I love you."  He bites his lip and shivers again. "Please?"

"He...he branded me, Alex. Just like...just like an animal." his voice wavers as he holds on to you securely, burying his face into your chest again.

"Christ...Love...'" He cradles your head again. "Where?" Voice as soft as he can make it, forcing himself to stop crying.

"Low...really down low." he murmurs softly against you.

Alex winces and runs fingers gently against your hair again. "Let me see, love. Please." voice pleading, crying softly again.

Dean sniffles and looks up at you. "Only if you promise me one thing."

Alex wipes his tears away. "Anything love." murmurs. "Can't deny you anything."

Dean takes a deep shuddering breath. "You can't tell anyone...not even Josh. I don't want anyone to know. No teachers. Nothing. I can't live with my humiliation on display again." he looks up at you sadly. "And no retaliation. Swear it on your love for me."

Alex blinks and bites his lip. Knowing that everything in his body is going to scream to retaliate, but he looks in your eyes and winces, still crying softly. "Okay."

"I swear it... on my love for you."

"I trust you then." Dean looks away and begins to lower the duvet over his naked body. He stops briefly at his navel and looks up at you nervously. "Okay..." Slowly, he pushes the blanket down farther, uncovering a red, burned area between his hip and his groin. The initials AP flame brightly against his tender skin.

Ales hisses in a breath and closes his eyes, leaning his head against yours and almost groaning. "God, baby, I'm so sorry. I'm so..." He shakes his head and opens his eyes, leaning up and examining the mark, crying again and not bothering to wipe them away.

"It'll go away, really." he hurries to cover himself with the blanket again, pulling you close.

"It'll leave a scar." mumbled against your skin, then he leans back. "At least let me stop the burning..."

"It's a hex of some sort.. Maybe we can find a way to reverse it yet...I don't want this scar."

Alex nods and tosses his wand to the end of the bed. "We'll find something."

Dean sighs and lays back against his pillows. "I hate life...it just never ends...all the shit. It just keeps coming."

Alex closes his hand over yours, squeezing. "You have me." He bites his lip again. "We'll get thru it together."

"Yes, we will." Dean averts his eyes from you slowly. "Brock...he said some things about...you...and us."

"Yeah.. he said some things to me today, too... earlier..." He bites his lip again. "What did he say, love."

"He said...he told me that you said you were only with me for the fuck." Dean squirms against his pillows nervously.

Alex clenches his hand around yours. "Did you believe him?" Voice shaking again, wiping away tears again.

"No...no, I don't. That's when I hexed him, actually." Dean sniffles again and rubs his eyes with one of his hands.

Alex sighs almost in relief. "Good, love. Because that was an incredible lie. I ... love you so much." He shudders and sniffles, leaning his head against your shoulder.

"He's evil. Tried to tell me that our relationship...us...was a sham."

"He told me the same thing. It's not true, baby. It's not... it's not pity... it's not anything like that..." He shivers against your side, not knowing what to say to reassure you.

"I...I don't believe him, Alex. We've made it through so much together. And every time something like this happens, we just get closer." Dean wraps his arms around you gently.

Alex nods and leans his head into your shoulder, letting you hold him because he's afraid to hold you, afraid of hurting you. "Do you know how much I love you?" Words mumbled against your shoulder as he begins crying again, hating himself because you shouldn't have to be comforting him right now. "And again I couldn't protect you..."

"I know you love me, angel. And I love you...nothing can change that." Dean caresses your back gently. "You're protecting me now...when I need you the most."

Alex shivers again, pressing up on one arm  and wiping a fresh wave of tears away with the other. "Lot of good I'm doing..."

Dean leans over and slowly kisses your tears away. "You're here, Alex. That means absolutely everything to me."

Alex to kiss your forehead. "I love you. Gods..."

"And I love you...more than you know." Dean pulls you into his arms, holding you securely.

Alex closes his eyes and leans his forehead against yours, tentatively putting a hand to your waist and gauging your reaction. "We'll get thru this too, then." He sniffles again. "And no one will know."

"Thank you, love."  Dean smiles tentatively and kisses your nose.

Alex sighs and nestles into the duvet, running his fingers over your waist in small circles. "Can I... Can I stay tonight?"

"Please...yes. I was going to ask you...I don't know how this is going to affect my...sleeping habits. My bed is always welcome to you. I love sleeping next to you." he smiles again and looks into your eyes lovingly.

Alex returns the look, sad but completely loving. 'You're beautiful, you know. Even if that fucking mark never comes off... I don't think any less of you or anything. You're still amazing."

Dean's smile falters a bit at the mention of his new mark. "I....we'll get it off."

Alex nods. "Yeah. Yeah we will. There's no hex that can't be undone."

"It burns some right now...but we can go look in the library after classes tomorrow and see what we can do." he snuggles against you again. "Your clothes are a little...rough, love. Can we...take them off?"

Alex nods and stands up on the bed, pulling his shirt off and then sliding his trousers and boxers down, kicking them away before he lays back down.

"There we go." He smiles at you. Not sure if he should pull you close or not.

"Thank you, love." he snuggles closely to you again, wrapping his arms tightly around your waist.

Alex leans into you gently, tentatively running a hand up and down your back, unsure that to do other than love you. "Love you."

"Love you too, angel." he lifts up and kisses your mouth timidly.

Alex leans into the kiss, kissing back incredibly gently, hand still gentling over your back.

Dean sighs against your mouth and breaks the kiss reluctantly. "I just...love you so much." he whispers against your lips, almost too quietly to hear.

Alex runs his fingers up and against your neck, feather light. "I know, baby. I love you just as much..." He bites his lip, grasping for the words. "You're the first thing I think about when anything happens. You're the first thing I think about in the morning..." He sighs and kisses you gently again, the pulls back to watch his fingers move against your cheek.

[and they cuddle more and sleep]